Musicians :
Mike Estes ; Lead Vocals, Lead and SlideGuitar
Jay Johnson : Lead Guitar, Background Vocals
Kurt Pietro : Drums
Luke Bradshaw : Bass, Background Vocals

Titles;
01 If You Don’t Care
02 Devil in The Bottle
03 Two Good Wheels
04 Too Bad To Be True
05 Judge Parker
06 Bittin’ The Dog
07 Lie To Me
08 Sgur Up And Rock
09 After You
10 None Of Me No More
11 Dogdin’ Bullets

Put together in 2004 at Mike Estes and Dave Hlubek's main initiative, the band Skinny Molly (like its name implies) drives essentially atmospheres tied to those two giants of the ‘’Southern Rock’’ that are Skynyrd and Molly Hatchet ! We can simply remind that Mike Estes played during three years (from 1993 to 1996) beside Gary Rossington, Ed King, Johnny Van Zant, aso..., and that Dave Hlubek was one of the pillars of Molly Hatchet at the end of the seventies. Since, Big Dave took back his place inside Bobby Ingram's Molly and Mike carried on the Skinny Molly project, while contributing to other adventures like the Blackfoot's one a few years ago !
Well, that being said... Let's take an interest from a little closer in this new album that opens with « If You Don't Care », a very good tune, happily heavy, that exudes completely the seventies ‘’Southern Rock’’ : guitars present just like you'd like, vocals that perfectly fit to the style, a good production, anyway… Straightaway we feel that this style's enthusiasts should appreciate ! The second title is a bit particular because it's one of the best tunes Mike Estes wrote for Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1993 and it's called « Devil in The Bottle ». Admittedly, some people will surely ask about the reason of this rerecording, but on another side, I also suppose that Mike Estes feels still legitimate enough to make a cover of this tune that he co-wrote himself with Skynyrd. Anyway, it's a nice version, perhaps a little less rich and more direct than the Lynyrd one, but in this form it still sounds quiet well ! With « Too Bad to Be True », an happily powerfull and spicy rock’ roll that also remains the Drivin’ Sideways era, Mike Estes confirms that he surely is a very good composer-performer ! With tunes like « Shut Up And Rock », « Bitin’ The Dog » or « No One Of Me No More », Mike Estes and Jay Johnson's Skinny Molly logically sets this new album amongst the goodies in the category ‘’Rock-Hard-Blues’’. It just has to confirm it live now since the band currently tours in Europe including 5 dates in France... Who could have believed it ?
John Molet
Trad. : Y. Philippot-Degand